Strawberries
by heyilikezombies
Summary: "Sawyer's dying."


"Sawyer's dying."

Kate's heart fell into her stomach. Those two words didn't belong together, not in the slightest sense.

"Sawyer…" She shook her head, her eyes wide open in panic. He was… dying? How could that be? They were just hiking through the woods that morning, how could that happen?

She suddenly moved forward and gripped Hurley by the front of his shirt. "Where is he?!" She pushed him backwards. "Where _is_ he?!"

They raced through the jungle, Kate yelling at Hugo to keep up with her the entire time. They reached a clearing in the trees just in time for Kate to watch Sawyer cough up an entire mouthful of blood.

"Kate…" He choked out, his head lolling back ang forth. "Where's…" He turned his head and split. "Where's Kate…"

The brunette shoved past the crowd of people around the con man and knelt down beside him, not even bothering to glance up at Jack. "I'm here, Sawyer," She said, placing her hands on the sides of the his face as his eyes fluttered open again, his gaze locking on hers.

"Hey," He breathed, a smirk stretching over his lips, his dimples making small divots in his cheeks.

"We're gonna get you outta here, okay? You're gonna be oka-"

"Don't lie to me, Freckles," He said, looking into her eyes, bringing a trembling hand up to cup her jaw. His eyes flicked between each of hers, his smile fading briefly. "It's okay."

Kate shook her head against the lump in her throat. "Don't say that." She laid her hand over the one on her face, closing her eyes for a moment. "You're gonna be fine."

Sawyer's expression softened and his thumb moved over the arch of her cheekbone. He was looking up at her like she was the only one there, and maybe to him, she really was. His smile disappeared all together then, and he took a shaky inhale. "I love you," He breathed, his eyes beginning to fall closed again.

Kate allowed only one tear to fall as a sad smile fell over her lips. She brushed away the hair from his forehead with her hand and nodded. "I love you too," She said quietly, her voice breaking near the end.

Tears in her eyes, she leaned down to kiss him full on the mouth, her hand cupping his cheek. She tried to savor every moment of that kiss, every last second she spent sitting there with him, tongues tangled, lips locked. But the kiss broke much too soon and he lowered his hand from her face.

"You still taste like strawberries," He whispered, looking into Kate's green eyes and smiling one last time before he took his final breath. He silently slipped away, his eyelids falling shut forever as he drifted into a deep sleep he'd never wake up from.

Kate didn't say anything. Not a word. She just pulled him into her lap and pressed him to her chest, cradling his now lifeless body back and forth, tears streaming down her face. She held the back of his head to her shoulder, not caring about the blood soaking her clothing. All she could think about was the man she'd just lost, and how much she needed him to come back.

One by one, the people standing around them left, slowly trickling out of the jungle silently. Jack was the last one to go, and he was forced to leave by Hurley, who told him that he had to get some sleep.

Once everybody was gone, and Kate and Sawyer were the only two left in the jungle, Kate allowed herself to give in to the grief she was feeling. Her body shuddered as she sobbed, tremors wracking through her as her chest heaved.

She tried to catch her breath as she shakily began to sing, both in a vain attempt to soothe herself and for the man lying in her arms.

_"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket  
Never let it fade away  
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket  
Save it for a rainy day_

_For love may come and tap you on the shoulder  
Some starless night  
Just in case you feel you wanna hold her  
You'll have a pocketful of starlight_

_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket  
Never let it fade away…"_

"Goodnight, Sawyer," She whispered, turning her head so she could kiss his cheek, her soft lips brushing against the scruff on his face. "I'll be here when you wake up."


End file.
